The First City: Difference between revisions
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== Culture == | == Culture == | ||
The First City’s written language was cuneiform, but after its Fall, its script diverged from its Surface counterpart, evolving into something distinct.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Edicts_of_the_First_City The Edicts of the First City, ''Fallen London''] ''"The writing […] is First City cuneiform; the early variety, before their writing truly began to diverge from Surface examples. […] Proper translation will take some time; but the few word stems you recognize suggest that it concerns the repayment of debts."''</ref> Laws and oaths held great significance,<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Expand_your_understanding_of_oaths_and_boundaries Expand your understanding of oaths and boundaries, ''Fallen London''] ''"[...] You know a little, now, of how that was done. Of how those enforced truths still resonate in the Neath; of the treaties and boundaries they make manifest. But you also understand how the first laws in the dark were almost immediately succeeded by the very first crimes."''</ref> with many of the City’s legal edicts surviving through the ages.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Provide_cover_to_a_Chilly_Legal_Scholar Provide cover to a Chilly Legal Scholar, ''Fallen London''] ''"[...] He hands you […] a tablet of fired clay, covered in First City writing. Edicts and pronouncements, written as law […] one line catches your eye: ONE DAY YOU WILL MAKE US WHOLE."''</ref> The cedars bore silent witness to these agreements<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Way_West The Way West, ''Fallen London''] ''"In the first of all cities, the Cedar was witness of oaths."''</ref>—their sap a sacred seal for merchants striking binding pacts.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sap_of_the_Cedar_at_the_Crossroads Sap of the Cedar at the Crossroads, ''Fallen London''] ''"Sticky and indelible. It binds together treaties and poisons oath-breakers." "Merchants treasure this stuff. A guarantee of word and bond."''</ref> It was believed that the cedar-spirit enforced oaths sworn beneath its branches.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_Cedar Ask about the Cedar, ''Fallen London''] ''"A spirit that came down with the First City," says the Creditor's Solicitor. "Or the double of a spirit that has always lived here." You press her for more, but she shrugs. "It creates the framework for an agreement, and the authority for its enforcement. But it is not itself either law or oath."''</ref> | <blockquote>''"Debts take many forms. Debts of honour. Of money, obviously. Blood. And then there are the debts of greater and more terrible natures. And a debt – no matter how great, no matter how terrible – must be repaid in full."<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Press_for_a_harsh_sentence Press for a harsh sentence, ''Fallen London'']</ref>''</blockquote>The First City’s written language was cuneiform, but after its Fall, its script diverged from its Surface counterpart, evolving into something distinct.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Edicts_of_the_First_City The Edicts of the First City, ''Fallen London''] ''"The writing […] is First City cuneiform; the early variety, before their writing truly began to diverge from Surface examples. […] Proper translation will take some time; but the few word stems you recognize suggest that it concerns the repayment of debts."''</ref> Laws and oaths held great significance,<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Expand_your_understanding_of_oaths_and_boundaries Expand your understanding of oaths and boundaries, ''Fallen London''] ''"[...] You know a little, now, of how that was done. Of how those enforced truths still resonate in the Neath; of the treaties and boundaries they make manifest. But you also understand how the first laws in the dark were almost immediately succeeded by the very first crimes."''</ref> with many of the City’s legal edicts surviving through the ages.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Provide_cover_to_a_Chilly_Legal_Scholar Provide cover to a Chilly Legal Scholar, ''Fallen London''] ''"[...] He hands you […] a tablet of fired clay, covered in First City writing. Edicts and pronouncements, written as law […] one line catches your eye: ONE DAY YOU WILL MAKE US WHOLE."''</ref> The cedars bore silent witness to these agreements<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Way_West The Way West, ''Fallen London''] ''"In the first of all cities, the Cedar was witness of oaths."''</ref>—their sap a sacred seal for merchants striking binding pacts.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sap_of_the_Cedar_at_the_Crossroads Sap of the Cedar at the Crossroads, ''Fallen London''] ''"Sticky and indelible. It binds together treaties and poisons oath-breakers." "Merchants treasure this stuff. A guarantee of word and bond."''</ref> It was believed that the cedar-spirit enforced oaths sworn beneath its branches.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_Cedar Ask about the Cedar, ''Fallen London''] ''"A spirit that came down with the First City," says the Creditor's Solicitor. "Or the double of a spirit that has always lived here." You press her for more, but she shrugs. "It creates the framework for an agreement, and the authority for its enforcement. But it is not itself either law or oath."''</ref> | ||
A notable legal practice was the Cedar-Trial, a form of arbitration where disputing parties clasped hands before a cedar tree, allowing its spirit to serve as the ultimate judge.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Invoke_sacred_methods_of_enforcing_an_oath Invoke sacred methods of enforcing an oath, ''Fallen London''] ''"The sapling that grows in the courtyard shall serve to find the balance of the participants' oaths. [...] the verdict will not be the judge's. Both parties are induced to clasp hands before the tree. Each thinks this method will benefit them most of all."''</ref> Justice in the First City was not just law but an extension of the natural and divine order. It was a method of survival for the First of Fallen Cities.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Expand_your_understanding_of_oaths_and_boundaries Expand your understanding of oaths and boundaries, ''Fallen London''] ''"[...] The oaths those first inhabitants would have made. The truths they spoke into being as a matter of daily survival. The world they had to invent to remain alive, and remain human. [...]"''</ref> | A notable legal practice was the Cedar-Trial, a form of arbitration where disputing parties clasped hands before a cedar tree, allowing its spirit to serve as the ultimate judge.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Invoke_sacred_methods_of_enforcing_an_oath Invoke sacred methods of enforcing an oath, ''Fallen London''] ''"The sapling that grows in the courtyard shall serve to find the balance of the participants' oaths. [...] the verdict will not be the judge's. Both parties are induced to clasp hands before the tree. Each thinks this method will benefit them most of all."''</ref> Justice in the First City was not just law but an extension of the natural and divine order. It was a method of survival for the First of Fallen Cities.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Expand_your_understanding_of_oaths_and_boundaries Expand your understanding of oaths and boundaries, ''Fallen London''] ''"[...] The oaths those first inhabitants would have made. The truths they spoke into being as a matter of daily survival. The world they had to invent to remain alive, and remain human. [...]"''</ref> | ||
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== First City Coins == | == First City Coins == | ||
Coins attributed to the First City, though widely dismissed as modern forgeries, hold significance in the Marvellous as substitutes for "fragments of a primal power."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_lovely_place_for_a_lecture|A lovely place for a lecture|Fallen London|}}''"[...] Have you heard of the First City Coins? [...] They're not from the First City itself, of course. The actual coins are no more than thirty years old. But they represent something ancient. Fragments of a primal power, locked away in the Masters' vaults since the deal that bought the First City. [...]"''</ref> They are traditionally exchanged in sets of thirty, the number of silver coins Judas was paid for betraying Jesus.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Give_them_to_someone_else Give them to someone else, ''Fallen London''] ''"Traditionally, one gives these coins thirty at a time..."''</ref> | <blockquote>''"One side bears what might be a cedar tree. You've never met anyone who can read the script on the other side."''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/First_City_Coin First City Coin, ''Fallen London'']</ref></blockquote>Coins attributed to the First City, though widely dismissed as modern forgeries, hold significance in the Marvellous as substitutes for "fragments of a primal power."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_lovely_place_for_a_lecture|A lovely place for a lecture|Fallen London|}}''"[...] Have you heard of the First City Coins? [...] They're not from the First City itself, of course. The actual coins are no more than thirty years old. But they represent something ancient. Fragments of a primal power, locked away in the Masters' vaults since the deal that bought the First City. [...]"''</ref> They are traditionally exchanged in sets of thirty, the number of silver coins Judas was paid for betraying Jesus.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Give_them_to_someone_else Give them to someone else, ''Fallen London''] ''"Traditionally, one gives these coins thirty at a time..."''</ref> | ||
All First City coins bear an image of a cedar tree on one side. The reverse varies: some display an undeciphered script encircling a profile of a face, others depict the Bazaar itself, and a few show a pair of unsettling eyes—possibly belonging to a Devil.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Examine_First_City_Coins Examine First City Coins, ''Fallen London''] ''"While all First City coins have a tree on one side, the inscriptions on the other side vary. On a few examples, the undeciphered script circles around a face in profile, or an image of the Bazaar, or a pair of eyes that one can't help but suppose belong to a Devil."''</ref> Coins have surfaced as far as Port Carnelian, hinting at an ancient trade network that extended even to the [[The Elder Continent|Elder Continent]].<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Examine_First_City_Coins Examine First City Coins, ''Fallen London''] ''"First City coins have been found as far afield as Port Carnelian, suggesting that commerce between the Falling Cities and the Elder Continent is ancient. Did they trade with the Presbyterate? A precursor state? Something else entirely?"''</ref> | All First City coins bear an image of a cedar tree on one side. The reverse varies: some display an undeciphered script encircling a profile of a face, others depict the Bazaar itself, and a few show a pair of unsettling eyes—possibly belonging to a Devil.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Examine_First_City_Coins Examine First City Coins, ''Fallen London''] ''"While all First City coins have a tree on one side, the inscriptions on the other side vary. On a few examples, the undeciphered script circles around a face in profile, or an image of the Bazaar, or a pair of eyes that one can't help but suppose belong to a Devil."''</ref> Coins have surfaced as far as Port Carnelian, hinting at an ancient trade network that extended even to the [[The Elder Continent|Elder Continent]].<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Examine_First_City_Coins Examine First City Coins, ''Fallen London''] ''"First City coins have been found as far afield as Port Carnelian, suggesting that commerce between the Falling Cities and the Elder Continent is ancient. Did they trade with the Presbyterate? A precursor state? Something else entirely?"''</ref> | ||
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There are also a number of rumors about the First City: that it was made of shining alabaster and bone held together by belief,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ancient_stories|Ancient stories|Fallen London|}}"[...] They say that the First City was made of shining alabaster and bone held together by belief. [...]"</ref> that there is a First City priest living on an atoll, who challenges all those who encounter him to tell him a true lie. Those who cannot answer the riddle must stay on the atoll with him.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discuss_your_scraps_with_the_Salty_Fabulist|Discuss your scraps with the Salty Fabulist|Fallen London|}}''"That one leads to an atoll. On the atoll lives a priest of the First City, who challenges all comers to tell him a true lie. If you can't, you have to stay on the rock with him."''</ref> | There are also a number of rumors about the First City: that it was made of shining alabaster and bone held together by belief,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ancient_stories|Ancient stories|Fallen London|}}"[...] They say that the First City was made of shining alabaster and bone held together by belief. [...]"</ref> that there is a First City priest living on an atoll, who challenges all those who encounter him to tell him a true lie. Those who cannot answer the riddle must stay on the atoll with him.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discuss_your_scraps_with_the_Salty_Fabulist|Discuss your scraps with the Salty Fabulist|Fallen London|}}''"That one leads to an atoll. On the atoll lives a priest of the First City, who challenges all comers to tell him a true lie. If you can't, you have to stay on the rock with him."''</ref> | ||
== Historical Inspirations == | == Historical Inspirations == | ||
The first candidate for the First City is the Sumerian city of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruk Uruk], renowned for its prominence in Mesopotamian history and its association with the Epic of Gilgamesh. This would mean that the Manager is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgamesh Gilgamesh], from the famous [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh Epic of Gilgamesh], due to the similarities between his tale and the epic (although there are differences).<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Meeting_the_King|Meeting the King|Fallen London|}}</ref> The King with a Hundred Hearts would be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enkidu Enkidu], Gilgamesh's closest friend in the epic; however, in this story he was originally a merchant from China,<ref name=":0" /> rather than being a [[Clay Men|creature of clay]] the whole time like Enkidu. Additionally, the King's relationship with the Manager was explicitly romantic. Lastly, this would mean that the Capering Relicker is probably [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utnapishtim Utnapishtim], who in the epic was granted immortality by the Sumerian gods as a reward for preserving humankind through a great flood. | |||
Another candidate is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Brak Tell Brak], an ancient settlement in modern-day Syria. This theory gains support from the existence of the Eye Temple,<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Interview_the_Manager_of_the_Royal_Bethlehem|Interview the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem|Fallen London|}} ''"He used to be a king, ruling from a temple made of eyes"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Looking_for_the_manager|Looking for the manager|Fallen London|}} ''"I received him in the temple of eyes"''</ref> The historical Eye Temple at Tell Brak is famous for its thousands of eye-shaped figurines, some of which were [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Brak_Head#:~:text=It%20was%20found%20in%20the,mud%2Dbrick%20temple%20was%20constructed. embedded into the mortar] of the mud-brick temple. | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
<references /> | {{Scroll box|text = <references/>}} | ||
Revision as of 11:23, 2 April 2025
"Only two things are known to remain of the First City: the name, the Crossroads Shaded By Cedars, and the saying: even the First City was young when Babylon fell." "The first taught restraint..."[1]
The First City, known as the Crossroads Shaded By Cedars, was originally located in Ancient Mesopotamia and dates back to the third millennium BCE.[2] The remnants of this city live on in Polythreme; ruins and artifacts of the First City can also be found in the Hinterlands, especially under the Magistracy of the Evenlode.
The First Fall
"The sudden sunlight is dazzling, prompting you to step into the shade of the trees nearby. Here the air is sweet and cool; the cedar sap is heady and light. Down the path are a number of small, grey-brick homes. Children in curious garb squeal with joy, workers shout – in an unfamiliar language, but the tone is cheerful. This is a place of industrious contentment."[3]
Before its Fall, the First City thrived as a major commercial hub in Mesopotamia,[4] flourishing through trade with its sister-cities.[5] It had established contact with ancient China, welcoming merchants from distant lands. Among them was the King with a Hundred Hearts, then a handsome young trader whose caravan met disaster, forcing him to seek refuge in a mud-brick town.[6] There, he first encountered the priest-king of the settlement, the Manager.
The king’s court was astonished by the foreign merchant’s exotic appearance and attire.[7] The priest-king, captivated, soon fell deeply in love with the young traveler.[8] But fate was unkind—the merchant fell gravely ill and was near death.[9] In desperation, the priest-king accepted aid from two Masters of the Bazaar, Cups and Candles.[10] They offered him a bargain: the salvation of his lover in exchange for the city itself. The priest-king accepted.
The Masters transformed the merchant into the King of Polythreme, preserving his life but also trapping him in the form of a metropolis. The First City, in turn, was claimed by the Bazaar, marking the beginning of the cycle of Fallen Cities.[11]
Culture
"Debts take many forms. Debts of honour. Of money, obviously. Blood. And then there are the debts of greater and more terrible natures. And a debt – no matter how great, no matter how terrible – must be repaid in full."[12]
The First City’s written language was cuneiform, but after its Fall, its script diverged from its Surface counterpart, evolving into something distinct.[13] Laws and oaths held great significance,[14] with many of the City’s legal edicts surviving through the ages.[15] The cedars bore silent witness to these agreements[16]—their sap a sacred seal for merchants striking binding pacts.[17] It was believed that the cedar-spirit enforced oaths sworn beneath its branches.[18]
A notable legal practice was the Cedar-Trial, a form of arbitration where disputing parties clasped hands before a cedar tree, allowing its spirit to serve as the ultimate judge.[19] Justice in the First City was not just law but an extension of the natural and divine order. It was a method of survival for the First of Fallen Cities.[20]
The city was also home to a prominent Eye Temple,[21] where its priests and priest-king ruled[22] and conducted esoteric rituals.[23]
First City Coins
"One side bears what might be a cedar tree. You've never met anyone who can read the script on the other side."[24]
Coins attributed to the First City, though widely dismissed as modern forgeries, hold significance in the Marvellous as substitutes for "fragments of a primal power."[25] They are traditionally exchanged in sets of thirty, the number of silver coins Judas was paid for betraying Jesus.[26]
All First City coins bear an image of a cedar tree on one side. The reverse varies: some display an undeciphered script encircling a profile of a face, others depict the Bazaar itself, and a few show a pair of unsettling eyes—possibly belonging to a Devil.[27] Coins have surfaced as far as Port Carnelian, hinting at an ancient trade network that extended even to the Elder Continent.[28]
Survivors
There are a few confirmed living survivors of the fall of the First City:
- The Manager of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel, who was once its priest-king.[29]
- Polythreme's King with a Hundred Hearts, the lover of the Manager and once a merchant from China.[30] The merchant was dying of "fits," so the Manager brokered a deal with the Masters of the Bazaar to save his life. They accomplished the task by shoving a large jewel from the Mountain of Light into his chest, creating his current form.
- The Capering Relicker, a priest in the Eye Temple, and the Manager’s uncle,[31] and who was the first to brew Hesperidean Cider.
- The Surgeon's Child is from the First City, though it remains unclear whether she is still alive. She was the surgeon responsible for lobotomizing the Bazaar, removing its urge to deliver messages.
- The Yearning Custodian, who was born in the First City and initiated the Marvellous in the Third. He now resides in the Root of Need in Parabola, and is the Keeper of the Marvellous and chronicler of its history and rulings.
- The Sleeping Merchant, who facilitated an ill-made deal between the Bazaar and the Creditor.
There are also a number of rumors about the First City: that it was made of shining alabaster and bone held together by belief,[32] that there is a First City priest living on an atoll, who challenges all those who encounter him to tell him a true lie. Those who cannot answer the riddle must stay on the atoll with him.[33]
Historical Inspirations
The first candidate for the First City is the Sumerian city of Uruk, renowned for its prominence in Mesopotamian history and its association with the Epic of Gilgamesh. This would mean that the Manager is Gilgamesh, from the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, due to the similarities between his tale and the epic (although there are differences).[34] The King with a Hundred Hearts would be Enkidu, Gilgamesh's closest friend in the epic; however, in this story he was originally a merchant from China,[30] rather than being a creature of clay the whole time like Enkidu. Additionally, the King's relationship with the Manager was explicitly romantic. Lastly, this would mean that the Capering Relicker is probably Utnapishtim, who in the epic was granted immortality by the Sumerian gods as a reward for preserving humankind through a great flood.
Another candidate is Tell Brak, an ancient settlement in modern-day Syria. This theory gains support from the existence of the Eye Temple,[22][35] The historical Eye Temple at Tell Brak is famous for its thousands of eye-shaped figurines, some of which were embedded into the mortar of the mud-brick temple.
References
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